Posts Tagged Parenting

This works just as well for the stay at home father too. It was written for a woman though. I got this from Iron Cook Carl and I hope you enjoy it.

WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?

Eddie came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front garden. The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the hall, Ed found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the rug was piled up against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the worktop, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. Eddie quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for Valerie.

He was worried she might be ill, collapsed, that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and sink. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found Valerie still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

Eddie looked at Valerie, bewildered and asked, ‘What happened here today?’ Valerie again smiled and answered, ‘You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me sarcastically what in the world I do all day?’ ‘Yes,’ was Eddie’s startled reply. Valerie answered, ‘Well, today, I didn’t do it.’

I imagine sometimes when my wife and I have little Bakers running around the house. I think about being a father all the time and how wonderful I think she would be as a mom. I think the worst thing that could happen to a parent is to have to bury a child. Parents are not meant to survive their kids. Children are meant to bury their parents.

I see on the news or have read about, have seen on countless television shows or movies when parents lose a child to gun violence, suicide, or medical conditions. It tears my heart to hear it so I think the worst thing that could happen is to me (even though I am not yet a father) is to have a child die.

Originally my answer was different and I suppose I could give two answers to this question. I’ve noticed that as the days go by others taking part in Blogging Honesty are taking liberties, so…

In retrospect, I think this might be the absolute worst thing that could happen to me… What if I lived my life the way I wanted to and have been doing and then died and found out that what Jesus and the Bible said was true. Having to spend all eternity in Hell is definitely the WORST thing that could happen to me. Somehow I don’t think waiting until death is the right time to find out.

Many kids will find this intrusive as will many adults. I however, as a concerned hope to be a parent someday I find it essential. What am I talking about? SafeSocial by AOL is what has me grinning ear to ear. There are some real shady characters out in cyberland and whats worse is outside of cyberland is the real world. The creeps you try to protect your family from just might be your next door neighbors.

What does SafeSocial do? SafeSocial makes keeping your child’s online experience a safe one without you having to stand over them like a guard in a prison. With your children’s permission you will be able to monitor their friends, their behavior and conversations. A summary of their online activity will be sent to parents for each child listed.

What child in their right mind would agree to something like this? For a parent the conversation might go something like this. If you want a Facebook account you have to agree to allow us to monitor your activity via SafeSocial. If the child wants a Facebook account they will agree to it.

On the SafeSocial.com website they spell out why their service is an important one. Do you wonder whether your children are safe on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace? Are you curious who their online friends are, or if they’re talking about sex, drugs, or violence? AOL SafeSocial can help address these worries while giving your children the independence to explore social networking at an age-appropriate level. With AOL SafeSocial, you get a complete view of your child’s online social networking activities: sites where your child has accounts, who your child is friends with, and what content your child is posting online and what’s being posted about them. We also let you know when you need to get involved, be it an inappropriate photograph that has been uploaded on your child’s account or an online “friend” who may not be trustworthy.

Internet privacy policy’s designed to make website users safe also inhibits and prohibits a parent from enforcing household rules. If my child sneaks off to a friend’s house and sets up a MySpace or Facebook account, by law I cannot get either site to close the account. If my child orders pornographic material like Penthouse or Sweet Action, I can write a letter to the publisher, tell them my child ordered the magazine, that they are under 18 and they had no right to send it to a minor. They would apologize and remove the charges from the account and then close it.

This is the message from Facebook:

We appreciate your concern for your child’s use of our website, but unfortunately we cannot give you access to the account or take any action on the account at your request. We are generally forbidden by privacy laws against giving unauthorized access to someone who is not an account holder. Please note that all users ages 13 and older are considered authorized account holders and are included in the scope of this policy.

We encourage parents to exercise any discretion they can on their own computers and in overseeing their kids’ internet use. If you are a parent, you might also consider using software tools on your own computer in order to do so. Please do a search for computer-based Internet control technology on your preferred search engine to discover options that you may wish to pursue.

Please also talk to your kids, educate them about internet safety, and ask them to use our extensive privacy settings.

Something needs to be done to help good parents be good parents. If a parent tells their child they are unable to have a certain account whether it be with Blogger, MySpace, Club Penguin or iCarly, they should be able to enforce their house rules. Something needs to be done but until then there is SafeSocial. Weigh in with your thoughts, especially any teenagers reading this.